A Welcome from our Chief Executive

Paul Williams, Chief Executive

This Corporate Plan was developed in partnership with industry. It sets out an ambitious programme of work that reflects the real-world opportunities and challenges we share, and the collective aspirations of our stakeholders.

Having attended all of the industry Panel meetings that led to the formulation of this new Corporate Plan, I was interested to note how few changes were proposed from our previous 2012 - 2015 Plan. Industry opinion was clearly that the main drive of Seafish work did not need to change and that the focus on enhancing the reputation of the seafood industry, promoting the consumption of seafood, and providing industry information remained appropriate.

However, there was one new message that came back loud and clear from our Panels: the requirement to address all elements of responsible sourcing, both ethical and environmental, and to do so across all areas of the supply chain. This clear commitment is marked by the inclusion of the words ‘socially responsible’ in our mission statement, a small but important change that reflects our common wish to ‘do the right thing’.

Although Seafish cannot solve all the problems, we can be an active hub for that shared industry goal. And shared industry goals are where Seafish can be at our most powerful. Of course, there are always going to be issues that are of more importance to one sector than to another, but where Seafish can really make a difference is in those areas where we can forge agreement and bring all parts of the seafood industry together. Through this Plan, that is exactly what we will seek to do.